The march to bring marijuana legalization before California voters in 2016 ramped up Thursday with the announcement by a group of longtime Bay Area cannabis advocates that they have hired heavy-hitting Democratic political strategists and plan to release a draft of the proposed initiative in the coming weeks.

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Santa Rosa-based attorney Joe Rogoway is part of a team with the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform that is crafting an initiative under a project dubbed ReformCA, backed by California NORML — the state branch of the national marijuana reform group — that would create a framework for a “robust set of regulations” to legalize cannabis for use by adults while maintaining regulations already in place for medical use.
“We’re going to have strict licensing criteria, and we’re going to be able to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state based on the model we want to put in place,” said Rogoway, a lead attorney for the coalition.
If filed, ReformCA’s proposal could be the most ambitious and well-funded of the various pot legalization measures to make a run at the 2016 ballot.
Seven proposed initiatives that seek to legalize marijuana already have been filed with the state Attorney General’s Office.
The crowded playing field has created mixed alliances. Santa Rosa attorney Omar Figueroa, who defends clients facing criminal charges involving marijuana, has given his support — in the form of a signature — to four of the initiatives. Another initiative drafted by the California NAACP is signed by its president, Alice Huffman, who is also on the board of directors with the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform and reportedly is also backing ReformCA.
ReformCA’s initiative, if filed, brings the number to eight; however, it is likely many will be abandoned as cannabis supporters combine efforts.